Stich-Randall, Teresa (1927—)
Stich-Randall, Teresa (1927—)
American soprano. Born on December 24, 1927, in West Hartford, Connecticut; daughter of John Stich and Mary Teresa (Zils) Stich; studied at the Hartford School of Music, Columbia University, and the University of Perugia (Italy).
Sang with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini; debuted with the Vienna State Opera (1952), Metropolitan Opera (1961); was the first American singer to be named an Austrian Kammersängerin (1962).
In 1944, while a student at Columbia University, Teresa Stich-Randall created the role of Gertrude Stein in Virgil Thomson's opera The Mother of Us All, a performance that attracted considerable attention. Within three years, Arturo Toscanini had recruited the young singer for his NBC broadcasts of Aïda and Falstaff. Many of her performances on radio were recorded, and she continues to be known because of them to this day. Through her recordings, the radio, and the opera stage, Stich-Randall established herself as one of the great Mozart singers of the mid-20th century. Her range as a lyric soprano was also suited to Strauss and her EMI recording as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Herbert von Karajan remains a classic.
John Haag , Athens, Georgia